Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-11-20
THE SEA-SERPENT.
A Desperate Battle with a Nom
ster on the Louisiana Coast.


Information has reached this city
that sea-serpent or an unknown
marine monster was shot III the Gull
of Mexico, but on account of its i'm
mense size only the head could be Sc.
cured. The head will soon be in pos
session of the National Museum, there
to be "sat on" by the scientific
sharps. To Capt. James p. Hare.
who is in charge of the Trinity Show
Lightship, off the Louisiana coast,
belongs the honor of securing this
prize. He has relatives in this city,
and to them he has written a very
interesting letter, describing his en-
counter with the monster OF the sea.
He says that while his ship was
lazily rolling ON the ground swell, one
of the seamen came to him and told
him that he had seen a strange OBJ
ject in the sea, couple of cable
lengths from the ship.
The Captain, with the aid OF pair
of powerful glasses, saw, to use his
own words, GAS hideous creature as
ever the human eye rested upon. The
first casual glance convinced me that
although from boyhood following the
precarious vicis-itudes of seaman's
life and having visited all the promi-
nent waters of the globe and naturally
seeing many strange inhabitants of
the sea and land, l found it impossi-
BILE to name or classify this monster
in view"
Determined to investigate further,
the Captain called for a volunteer
crew, and boat was Immediately
manned. In addition to harpoons
and axes, Captain Hare took his rife
and fifty rounds of ball cartridges.
When they got within fifteen yards of
their prey the boat was stopped, and
Hare fired. simultaneously with
the snarp crack of the rifle and the
thud of the str king bullet" he
writes, ''it suddenly reared its
head high and began lashing
the water with intense fury.
Never have | seen such fury displayed
by any creature exhibited. Its mo-
tions were SO rapid and furious that
it was impossible for the eye to retain
its form. All that was distinguish
able was huge, dark, writhing mass,
surrounded by seething foam, into
which the water was dashed by the
stricken and enraged monster" In
a few minutes the Captain fired
another shot, which one only seemed
to still further enrage the beast. By
this time the blood was squirting from a
number of wounds in the head, and
the surrounding waters were dyed a
deep crimson. Suddenly it turned,
and with distended jaws, which
showed it's huge, tusk-like teeth, COM
menced to approach the boat. The
crew stood ready for the attack. Hare
realized that it was fight to the death,
and the chances were even, If not in
their adversary's favor. He threw
out four empty water breakers, hop
ing thereby to distract it's attention
long enough to enable him to strike
vital part. The ruse worked to GER
tain extent. The sea serpent chewed
I'D the breakers one after another, and
the Captain kept up a constant fusil-
ade, but without being able to reach a
vital spot. "As it reached the side OF
boat" he writes, cit SLOWLY raised its
hideous head, erected its neck, and
with wide-extended jaws it seized the
side and gunwale of our boat and
crushed it as easily as though it was
made of glass. The crew rained in
blow after blow in rapid success
sion with their axes and hatch
cts. The harpooner thrust his
keen weapon to the hilt in its eyes,
while 1 shot into its writing and
quivering body ball after ball. 1t was
not long that this strange and curious
battle continued. After few spas
modic tremblings the animal sudden
ly, with one convulsive jerk that car.
ried away the side OF the boat, fell
alongside, huge, dead. repulsive
mass. AS it slowly settled beneath
the surface Of the water we hastily at
tached tow-line and tried by
every effort in our exhausted
condition to secure it for other
and more scientific investigation. Al
though we went to our work with q
will l soon found that the strong
southerly current, together with the
cumbersome body of the monster, our
almost dismantled boat and our ex.
haustion was rapidly settling us to
leeward and on the shoals, and being
now some distance from the ship and
night fast setting in, was most re.
luctantly compelled to order the rep
tile cut adrift. But before we did SO
we severed it's head from it's huge
body, which we soon saw disappear
in the dark water"
Captain Hare says he cannot form
any idea of the creatures length. AT
no time did he see more than forty OF
fifty feet exposed, and how much
more was submerged is only problem
atical. Its color was rusty-black on
top, fading to yellowish- white on
the under part.-[Galveston News.